Combination sweeper and mulcher



July 5, 1955 SMITH ETAL COMBINATION SWEEPER AND MULCHER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 12, 1953 INVENTORS ALEXA NDE R SMITH BURTON D. BAGCSJF ATTORNEY July 5, 1955 A. SMITH ETAL COMBINATION SWEEPER AND MULCHER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1953 6 INVENTORS ALEXANDER SMITH FIG. 3

BURTON D. BAGGSJI:

ATTORNEY y 5, 1955 A. SMITH ETAL COMBINATION SWEEPER AND MULCHER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 12, 1953 FIG-.5

V O G U o p .VO @h FIG. 6

FIG. 9

lNVENTORS e4 ALEXANDER SMITH BURTON D. BAGGS Jr.

ATTORNEY July 5, 1955 A. SMITH ET AL 2,712,211

COMBINATION SWEEPER AND MULCHER Filed Jan. 12, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. l2

INVENTORS ALEXANDER SMITH BURTON o. BAGGSJr:

ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,712,211 COlVIBINATION SWEEPER AND MULCHER Alexander Smith and Burton 1). Eag s, Jr., Sanford, Fla. Application January 12, 1953, Serial No. 330,630 1 Ciaim. (Cl. 55-118} This invention relates to the removing and disposition of matter and more particularly to the removal of grass, leaves, snow, and other things of relatively light weight and the breaking, cutting, or reducing of the same into relatively small particles.

The invention relates specifically to a harvesting device employing a cutter and the transformation of the same into a comminuting device or a combination sweeper and mulcher by the presentation of the material to be finely divided or cut into small particles to the cutter until the necessary cutting or reduction has been accomplished.

It is desirable to dispose of relatively fine vegetation such as cut grass, leaves, small stalks of plants, acorns,

nuts, and the like as well as snow and other small particles including pieces of paper, without having to cart them away. It is also desirable to abstract from such small particles whatever they may contain in the way of food value for fertilizing or enriching the soil.

it is an object of this invention to provide a combination sweeper and mulcher by means of which grass, leaves and other things may be comminuted or cut into relatively small particles and returned to the soil.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which may be readily applied to or removed from a lawn mower in a manner that the cutter of the mower will produce the necessary comminuting or cutting of the material supplied thereto into relatively small or fine particles and discharge onto the soil after the reduction in size of the particles is accomplished.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a device which consists of relatively few parts, is simple and inexpensive to produce and operate, and which includes sweeping and transferring means for sweeping up and present ing material to be finely divided to a cutter, and with a screen or mesh through which the finely divided, material, other than snow, may be discharged.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination sweeper and mulcher which includes a housing having a chamber therein, a rotary cutter in said chamber, a rotary sweeper for supplying grass, leaves and small objects to the cutter, a screen through which the finely divided particles may be discharged, a source of power for driving the rotary cutter and rotary sweeper and producing movement of the device.

The invention is a combination sweeper and mulcher and may be in the form of a machine the sole purpose of which is to sweep and mulch, or it may be a machine of this character which includes interchangeable parts so that it may be used as a snow plow, or it may be in the form of an attachment for a rotary lawn mower or grass cutter such as that disclosed in Patents 2,513,685 and 2,564,586.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away showing a rotary lawn mower with the mulching attachment;

Fig. 2, a side elevation of the attachment per se;

Fig. 3, a top plan view with rear baffles omitted;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary top plan view with the top of the attachment removed;

Fig. 5, a fragmentary rear elevation of the structure of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6, a section on the line 66 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7, a cross-section of the sweeper brush;

Fig. 8, a side elevation of the retaining bracket;

Fig. 9, a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10, a section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 11, a side elevation of the attachment equipped as a snow plow;

Fig. 12, a sectional view through the axis 41 of the structure of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13, a section on the line 1313 of Fig. 12; and

Fig. 14-, a front elevation of the belt tightener per se.

The invention is intended to be used with a lawn mower employing a horizontally disposed rotary cutter blade mounted on a vertical axis and driven from an associated power plant. To the front of this lawn mower I fasten an attachment which includes a housing or cage about the rotary cutter, a screen beneath the same so that finely divided particles may be discharged, and with sweeping mechanism in the form of a rotary brush driven from the power plant, and having a belt tightener which puts equal pressure on a belt and a chain for equalizing the force, and with a bracket which extends around the lawn mower securing the attachment to the same and permitting ready separation thereof.

Briefly stated, the invention is a combination sweeper and reducer by means of which leaves, grass, or the like may be swept up, comminuted, and returned to the soil, or the device may be used as a snow plow by interchange of certain parts so that the snow may pass into the front of the machine and be discharged laterally therefrom. The invention may be constructed as a unit or as an attachment for a lawn mower already in existence, to which it may be readily attached or from which it may be readily disconnected and removed.

With continued reference to the drawings, a conventional lawn mower may have a housing 10 including a frame 10 and a rotary cutter 12 having replaceable blades 13, such rotary cutter being carried on a spindle 14 mounted in a bearing 15. On the spindle 15 is mounted a pulley 16 attached to the upper end of the spindle by means of a set screw 17. The pulley 16 is driven by means of a belt 18 which extends around a three-groove pulley 19 mounted on the shaft 20 of an internal combustion engine 21 to which fuel is supplied from a tank 22 and is ignited by means of one or more spark plugs 23. The belt 18 engages the groove of largest diameter on the pulley 19 and about the intermediate groove is disposed a belt 24. This belt drives the drum 21 by means of reduction gearing 25.

On the rear of the body 10 are a pair of spaced cars 26 between which is pivoted a handle 27. This handle is used in the controlling of the operation of the machine.

The structure described constitutes a power driven lawn mower having a horizontal cutting bar, and is a commercially satisfactory structure which can be used for cutting grass of almost any height and close to walls, trees, or other obstructions.

In order to further reduce grass, leaves, and the like, an attachment is adapted to be added to the rotary mower, which attachment constitutes the essence of the present invention. As disclosed'in Fig. 2, it comprises an auxiliary housing 28 having a bottom 29 with an opening 30 covered with a screen 31. The housing is provided with an upturned rear end- 32 which may have perforations 33 as disclosed in Fig. 5, and through perforations 34 in the side walls of the housing and through the screen 31 finely comminuted substance may be discharged. The housing is supported by an adjustable roller 35 carried on a shaft 36 in brackets 37 and the brackets are provided with slots 38 in which bolts 39 having nuts 40 are received. The roller 35 may be formed of one or more segments, three being illustrated in Fig. 3, the end segments permitting easier turning of the device. The roll ers 35 and the drum 11 serve to support the structure.

The auxiliary housing 28 is provided with a removable front with a shaft 41 mounted therein. On the shaft is mounted a brush which consists of a pair of opposed right-angular socket members 42 carrying bristles 43, an oppositely disposed pair of such members 42 being connected by a bolt 44 and nut 45. The brushes are rotated in a counter-clockwise direction to pick up grass, leaves, and the like, and to project them rearwardly into contact with the rotary cutter.

The shaft 41 is journalled in bearings 46, one at each side of the machine, and has mounted on one end a V- grooved pulley 49. This pulley is driven by belt 48 around pulley 47 on the shaft 54) mounted in the bearing sleeve 51, as disclosed in Fig. 14. On the opposite end of the shaft 50 is mounted a pulley 52 which is driven by a belt 53 from the pulley 1.9. The sleeve 51 is mounted on spaced brackets 54 and 55, the upper ends of which are welded or otherwise attached to the sleeve 51 and the lower ends are pivoted on a pin 56, on which are mounted spaced links 57 which engage a pin 58 jouinalled in brackets 59 and 6t} carried by a mounting plate 61. Between the brackets 54 and is mounted a plate 62 and threaded through this plate and the pin 58 is an eye screw 63 by means of which the lower end of the brackets 54 and 55 may be raised or lowered when the eye screw is adjusted while in contact with the surface of the auxiliary housing. Thus, the tension on the belts 48 and 53 can be varied to suit and the tension on each will likewise be balanced.

The front of the auxiliary housing is provided with a removable plate 64, which, if desired, may have a reinforcement 65 about the margin of the same. At the lower front edge this removable cover 64 is provided with a pair of ears 66 so that the bolt 67 threaded through the side members of the housing may support the cover member. The cover member, however, has a rolled lower edge 63 beneath which grass and the like may pass into contact with the brushes 43.

In order to prevent the accumulation of grass, leaves, and the like in the front of the machine, the housing is provided with a pair of inwardly curved reinforced depending extremities or projections 69 which are spaced slightly above the ground so that there will not be left an created by the air flow and material is assisted in movingtowards the center of the area in which the cutter operates.

The attachment described may readily be applied to a rotary mower of the character illustrated in the patents mentioned above by elevating the forward end of such mower and introducing the attachment thereover until the rear wall 32 is behind the rotary cutter and the front flange 32 and the curve fits about the curved front of the mower, as illustrated in Fig. 1, whereupon the front end of the rotary mower is lowered into contact with the attachment and the mower and attachment are supported on the drum 11 of the mower and the roller 35 of the attachment. Thereafter, a clamping bar 78 is applied for fastening the parts in assembled relation. The bracket is provided with a book 79 and a T-bolt 80 having a wing nut 81 by means of which the T-bolt can be moved axially through a support 82 on the end of the clamping bar '78. In order to fasten the bracket to the attachment, the attachment is provided with a bracket 83 on one side of the attachment and a second anchoring bar 84 with spaced hook members which engage over the head of the T-bolt at opposite sides of the shank of the same. Thus, upon insertion of the hook 79 in the aperture in the end of the anchoring bar 83 and the head of the T-bolt in the ends of the bracket 84 and tightening of the wing nut 81, the parts are securely fastened together in assembled relation.

The structure already described is useful for sweeping up leaves, grass, and the like and reducing them substantially to powder. However, by a slight modification in the machine, as shown in Figs. '11 to 13, the machine may be used as a snow plow.

When used as a snow plow, the front portion 64 of the housing and the rotary brushes are removed and these are replaced with blower blades 85 and a snow handling housing including a scoop 86 up which the snow is adapted to be blown and discharged through an opening 87, which constitutes the end of a duct including a rear wall 88, an inclined front wall 89, and a curved or inclined untouched row as the machine moves along. Between the depending projections 69 at each side of the housing is mounted a curved plate which terminates in an upper edge 71 over which leaves, grass, or the like carried by the brush 43 operating in a counter-clockwise direction may be projected so that such leaves will be reduced by the rotary cutter.

Adjacent the rear corners of the housing are bafiies 72, 73, 74, and which direct movement within the housing in a circumferential direction during rotation of the cutter. The battle 72 has an inner face substantially parallel to the rotary path of the cutter curving inwardly from the side walls toward the front. The bafiie 73 is located at a lower elevation than the baffle 72 and curves inwardly and downwardly from the'side wall. Baffle 74 is a plate with a fiat surface with its top and bottom edges the same distance from the axis of the cutter. It has an attaching portion approximately 4 in width and this portion is welded or otherwise attached to the curved plate '1' i Bafie 75 has a surface of a compound curve which tapers downwardly from the joint between the side and end walls to streamline the corner. This forms in effect a fillet preventing accumulation of material to be cut in the corners or at the rear of the chamber in which the cutting is performed.

Also, at the front of the housing in which the cutter is disposed there are provided downwardly and inwardly inclined surfaces which serve as bafiies 76 and 77 which facilitate movement of the material from the brush into the cutter housing and prevent the return of material into the casing surrounding the rotary brush.

Thus, it will be readily understood that with the con.- struction described, advantage is taken of the suction top wall 90.

This substitute housing is attached by means of brackets 91 and bolts 92. Likewise the pulleys 47 and 49 are reversed and the belt 53 is crossed so that the blower will be rotated in a clockwise direction and at a much higher speed.

What is claimed is:

A machine for disintegrating organic matter lying on the ground comprising a lawn mower frame having a top and depending sides, a power driven blade mounted in said frame on a generally vertical axis, an open top main housing having a perforated bottom, sides and a back cooperating with the depending sides of the lawn mower frame to form a substantially complete enclosure, a pickup unit extending forwardly from said frame and open in its rear portion to the upper portion of said enclosure in a communicating passageway spaced from the bottom of said enclosure, a rotary sweeper mounted in said pick-up unit on a horizontal axis extending transversely to the direction of the movement of the mower, said pick-up unit having a forward wall and a top wall extending to said lawn mower frame and being generally concentric with the rotary sweeper, means to rotate said sweeper so that the ground engaging portion thereof moves forwardly for cooperation with the generally concentric front and top of said pick-up unit for carrying loose vegetation through the communicating passageway into the enclosure above the rotating blade whereby the loose vegetation is comminuted by the rotating blade and the comminuted material passes through the perforations in said enclosure.

Poynter May 20,1941 Gregory Jan. 16,1951 

